A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that nearly 20 percent of IVC filters were unsuccessfully removed.

Retrievable inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are marketed as a temporary treatment for pulmonary embolism.

The medical device, meant to be removed when a patient’s risk has subsided, is an attempt to avoid potential long-term problems caused by permanent filters.

However, researchers have discovered that IVC filters are not always removable. Recent data illustrates that unretrieved IVC filters may come with a variety of additional complications.

Details of the Study

Researchers analyzed the medical records of 952 patients with IVC filters.
Image: IRMC

In April 2013, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study that tested the safety of retrievable vena cava filters. The research focused on making conclusions about “complications, follow-up data, date of IVC filter retrieval, and use of anticoagulant therapy.”

Boston Medical Center began reviewing IVC filter use between August 1, 2003, and February 28, 2011. The study included 978 patients total, but 26 were excluded due to incomplete medical records. Overall, researchers analyzed 952 medical records.

Discovering Complications

Patients experiencing complications with IVC filters may need to undergo prolonged treatment in a hospital setting.
Image: Medical News Today

Of the 679 retrievable IVC filters that were placed, 58 were successfully removed. However, nearly 20 percent of attempts were unsuccessful. Researchers concluded that “unretrieved removable IVC filters may carry significant long-term risks.”

Additionally, the team cited 10 serious filter-related complications stemming from the lack of removal. These painful complexities required patients to be admitted to the hospital, sometimes for an extended period of time.

Examples of these issues  included a 33-year-old man with a fractured IVC filter that lodged in a pulmonary artery and a 56-year-old man who experienced filter perforation that caused abdominal bleeding.

“The Food and Drug Administration recommends that IVC filters should be removed as soon as the risk of PE has subsided,” according to the study.

A systematic review of 37 studies confirmed an increased rate of complications associated with filters left in place for longer than 30 days, including recurrent deep vein thrombosis, vena cava thrombosis, organ penetration, migration, and strut fracture.

Patients who experienced complications with IVC filters should complete a no-obligation survey to find out if they are eligible for legal compensation.

The post JAMA Study Finds Difficulties Removing IVC Filters appeared first on Citizens Report.

In the past few years, a number of medical journals have published studies linking prescription testosterone to increased cardiac risks.

Testosterone therapy, a popular hormone treatment for males, has been linked to heart attacks, strokes, prostate cancer and other serious conditions.

While testosterone medication is used by different age groups and demographics, researchers have found that it can increase the risk of cardiac issues in elderly men.

PLoS One Study Published in 2014

PLoS was founded in 2000 as a nonprofit, open-access scientific publishing project.
Image: WikiMedia

Public Library of Science, a peer-reviewed resource that includes various scientific disciplines, published a study evaluating the hypotheses that testosterone therapy can increase the risk of heart attacks, referred to as “acute non-fatal myocardial infarction.”

The Univeristy of California Los Angeles and the National Cancer Institute tested a database of 56,000 patients, measuring the likelihood of heart attack both before and after using testosterone for the first time.

Published on January 29, 2014, the study’s scientists concluded that men older than 65 and younger men with undiagnosed heart disease had double the risk of suffering a heart attack after the first 90 days of testosterone therapy.

The most recent study builds on other research that has identified cardiac risks caused by testosterone replacement.

JAMA Study Published in 2013

JAMA focuses on biomedical science and is published 48 times each year by the American Medical Association.
Image: Ashish K. Jha, MD

The Journal of American Medicine (JAMA) published a 2013 study that examined 8,709 veterans with low testosterone levels.

The men underwent cardiac tests and were entered into the Veterans Affairs (VA) system between 2005 and 2011.

“Among a cohort of men in the VA health care system who underwent coronary angiography and had a low serum testosterone level, the use of testosterone therapy was associated with increased risk of adverse outcomes,” according to the study.

Testosterone therapy bumped the risk of death, heart attack and stroke by an estimated 30 percent in veterans with a history of heart disease.

NEJM Study Published in 2010

The New England Journal of Medicine is published by the Massachusetts Medical Society and has existed since 1812.
Image: Oh Care

In 2010, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) conducted a similar study. In this experiment, a man lost his life. The cause of death was thought to be a heart attack activated by testosterone use.

The trial, called Testosterone in Older Men with Mobility Limitations (TOM), evaluated frail men with a high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. The study was stopped because of a high number of negative cardiovascular events in the treatment group.

“Frail elderly men with limitations in mobility are more likely to have clinical and subclinical cardiovascular disease than are those who do not have limitations in mobility,” according to the study.

The study also found that testosterone gels increased the risk of stroke, or cerebrovascular accident (CVA).

The Takeaway

As men age, testosterone levels gradually decline about 1 percent each year after age 30 or 40.
Image: Visualize Us

Older men are more likely to use testosterone replacements to improve sexual function, bone density, and strength that is affected by the natural aging process.

But the truth is that the effects of testosterone therapy on the cardiovascular health of men are unknown.

While scientists conduct research to gain more knowledge about prescription testosterone, millions of men continue using it every day.

Patients who experienced heart complications from testosterone medication may be eligible for compensation. Complete a free, no-obligation survey to learn more.

The post Studies Link Low T Drugs To Heart Attacks In Elderly Men appeared first on Citizens Report.